Nutcracker



n iran s'rA'rEs EZRA RIPLEY, OF TROY, NEV YORK.

NUTCRACKER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,238, dated May S1, 18:59.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA RIPLEY, of the city of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improved Implement for Cracking Nuts and for other Like Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had 'to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichj Figure 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 a vertical or longitudinal section, and Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show details of one of my improved nut-crackers.

The same letters refer to like parts in all the figures; and the arrows therein indicate the directions in which the parts move.

A is the fixed jaw, B is the sliding jaw, C is the eccentric or cam which moves the sliding jaw, and l is the handle by which the operator turns or vibrates the cam c, of one of my improved nut-crackers. The xed jaw A, projects out from the front side of, and is secured to, or is cast in one piece with, a supporting standard or plate, e. The movable jaw, B, is arranged with its face, y, opposite to, and either parallel with or somewhat inclined to, the face, z, of the fixed jaw, (Figs. l and 2,) and projects through an opening, f, (Fig. 3,) in the standard, e, from a slide, g, (Fig. 4,) which is cast in one piece with the jaw B; and is so fitted to the standard e, by guides it, L, or their equivalent, as to slide upon the back side of the standard, and guide the movements of the jaw B directly toward and from the fixed jaw, A. The handle, D, is either cast in one piece with, or is fastened to, the cam C; and this cam or eccentric is pivoted to the standard, e, (as upon a stud, i, Figs. 2 and 3,) and is fitted to turn within a cam-way, j, in the slide, g, Figs.. 4 and 8, and has a fiange, lc, Fig. 5, which keeps the slide, g, in place, the eccentric, C, being secured upon its pivot, i, by a bolt, Z, and washer, m, Figs. 2, 6, and 7, orlby equivalent means.

I' generally prefer to secure the fixed jaw, A, to the standard, e, in an adjustable manner, as by teeth a, and a screw-bolt, 0, and thumb-nut, 20,' so that the implement may be adapted to crack large or small kinds of nuts. I also prefer to have the faces of the j jaws inclined to each other, as represented in Figs.' 1 and 2, so that nuts of various sizes may be cracked, or corks, or other substances of different thicknesses compressed or acted upon by the implement, without adjusting the fixed jaw. But I do not limit myself to having those parts of the jaws which come in contact with the substance acted upon, in the particular form shown in` the annexed drawings, but shall vary those parts as circumstances shall require.

I am aware that it is not new to operate the sliding jaw of a punch, shears, or press, by means of a revolving or vibrating cam or eccentric; and the essence of my invention does not consist in working the sliding jaw of a nut-cracker by an eccentric or cam, the distinguishing feature of my invention being the above described construction or formation, and arrangement in combination for conjoint operation, of the fixed jaw, A, with its standard, e, provided with the opening f, the movablejaw, B, with its slide, g, fitted upon the back side of the standard, e, with the guides h, it', or their equivalent, and provided with the cam way, j, and the cam, C, with its handle, d, and flange k; whereby a very cheap,and durable, and eflicient, and convenient implement for cracking nuts and for similar purposes is produced.

It is obvious that by moving the handle d,

the movable jaw may be easily slid toward the fixed one with great force; and that, with the above described construction and arrangement of the parts of the implement, that end of the slide g which is nearest to the jaw A and which is consequently subjectedvto the most strain, is held close in place or against the standard c, while the instrument is in action, by reason of the resistance which the sliding jaw meets in cracking nuts; andthat all or nearly all the parts can be cast of iron without any core, and vcan be put together so as to make the implement ready for use, with very little labor; also, that no stops are required to limit the motion of the sliding jaw, and that consequently there is no noise made by the implement while in use, and no sudden and painful shock given to the hand and arm of persons cracking nuts by my improved nut cracker, as there is in such nut-crackers as have stops to limit the motion of the movable jaw toward the fixed one; for in my implement'the cam, C, limits the motion of the sliding jaw toward the fixed one, and

gradually stops that motion while the motion of the handle, d, continues, so that there is no danger of crushing the nuts into small bits, nor of pinching the nger's which hold the nut; and it is also apparent thatV my improved implement may bel used, With equal convenience, by either right-hand ed or left-handed persons,`as is in'dif cated by the positions of the handle, d, and calnwvay, j, and cam, C, in Fig. 8.

Having thus set forth my invention, what 4 I claim as new and desire to secnre by Let` ters Patent, is,

The above-described nut-cracker for impled ment, consisting essentially of the fixed j aw tA, With its standard e, the moyable jaw B with its slide, g, and the eccentric or cam, C,

with its `handle d and flange c, all constructed and lafrratnged in combination for conjoint operation substantially uas herein described. EZRA RIPLEY. Witnesses:

GEORGE MACARD'LE, AUSTIN F; PARK; 

